The present subject matter relates generally to vehicle headlamps. More specifically, the present invention relates to headlamps which are concealed via photochromic lenses and half-silvered mirrors.
Hidden headlamps, more commonly known as “hide-away headlamps”, were a widely popular automotive feature for much of the 20th century (1930s-1990s). Car manufacturers, from racing staples such as Aston Martin and Maserati to family favorites like Honda and Buick, embraced hidden headlamps because they gave cars a popular sleek and sporty design. Hidden headlamps were first introduced on the Cord 810 (produced in 1936). On the Cord and other early models, each headlamp unit was attached to a separate crank; the right crank controlled the car's right-side headlamp while the left crank controlled the car's left-side headlamp. When the headlamps were needed the driver turned each crank by hand, an arduous process on cars with heavy lamps. Turning the cranks one direction caused the headlamps to rise from their respective compartments and become visible, while turning the cranks the opposite direction lowered the lamps, making them vanish into their respective compartments.
Later versions of hidden headlamps advanced technologically to employ vacuum operated systems. Vacuum operated systems regularly failed however, because the systems inevitably lost pressure over time, ruining the operating mechanism.
Hand cranks and vacuum tubes eventually evolved into electric motors and while the motors were an improvement, they often malfunctioned and needed frequent repairs. Cold climates wreaked havoc, freezing the motors, while storms, with high winds, impacted lamps' abilities to rise and fall. Because of the problems with every incarnation of the hidden headlamp, the feature became obsolete. In 2004 the C5 Corvette and Lotus Esprit became the last mass-produced cars with hidden headlamps. Ultimately, moving parts were an Achilles heel of hidden headlamps: vacuum tubes broke, motors malfunctioned, and cranks failed.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new type of hidden headlamp, as described herein.